-Ryan Leutz

Young thug has had a turbulent couple of weeks leading up to the release of his latest effort, “On The Rvn”. It all started with the release of Slime Language, a collaborative compilation album featuring the colorful members of his label, Young Stoner Life. He was subsequently arrested in LA for drug and gun possession at his album release party, something Thug is unfortunately used to.

A week later, a warrant was put out for Young Thug in Georgia claiming that he was facing 8 felonies. That is when he teased the release of “On The Rvn”. After a shockingly quick two-day stint in Dekalb county jail, news broke that Thug had been released. Five days later he released his six-song EP, which features names like 6lack, Jaden Smith, and Sir Elton John.

Although it is a short project, each song stands out on its own as an expression of genuine individualism, something Young Thug has mastered in his rap career. This project shows a more relaxed side of Thug’s relentlessly energetic music.  This is seen most in “High”, Thug’s highly anticipated Elton John collaboration. “High” is a remix of Elton John’s “Rocketman”, that showcases Thug’s unique twang over the chorus and various samples of John’s classic tune. Although these two seem like a musical odd couple, this dreamy track could easily convince even the staunchest music purist that Young Thug is a uniquely talented artist. This is arguably the most high-profiled and impressive artist Thug has ever collaborated with, joining the likes of Drake, Kanye West, and Donald Glover.

For fans of Young Thug, this EP was a dream come true and if he can stay out of legal trouble, I think we can expect more of the brutally honest and strangely captivating Young Thug music we’ve come to expect and enjoy.